Vexx: The Demons Within
by LeeDaMan
Summary: The Shadowraiths have returned to devour what is left of the broken remains of Astara. In their fury, they rent a hole between the worlds with an abomination of a staff, but in the process, revived the very thing that they fear the most: Vexx.
1. Prologue

It's been a while since I've written anything, so bear with me if I'm a little rusty. It's taken so long to come up with an idea for a sequel to Vexx simply because I want to do the game justice - hopefully, I will have done this with this story. Another random thing that came to my attention during the posting of this story is that the document editor is messed up. I looked around, and they are all messed up in the same way. Is it just me, or is this a widespread problem? If anyone who reads this can help, please do - I'm confuzzled. Oo"

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vexx, or anything associated with the Vexx world - they are the property of Throwback Studios (please make a sequel!! crosses fingers)

**_Prologue_**

_I can't remember anything  
__Can't tell if this is truth or dream__  
Deep down inside I can feel the scream  
This terrible silence stops me,  
Now that the war is through with me  
I woken up, I cannot see  
That there's not much left of me  
Nothing is real but pain now._

_ "One" by Metallica_

___The Shadowrealm_

Vexx watched with contempt as Dark Yabu withered into nothingness, screaming his last screams of fury at the young boy. With a flash of light, he disappeared fully, leaving behind a great ceremonial staff - the Keystaff. Vexx grinned grimly to himself. It was finally over.

He picked up the keystaff tentatively, weighing it in his hands. It was lighter than it looked, and smooth to the touch. But he didn't have long to contemplate his victory - the fragment of the battlefield were shifting precariously underneath his weight. The towers surrounding the battlefield were exploding one after another, a deadly domino effect threatening to blow the place to kingdom come.

Time to go, Vexx thought worriedly. He ran to the portal exit, floor crumbling behind him as he ran. He leapt over the colossal gap between battlefield and corridor, pedaling the air, as the battlefield collapsed into pieces behind him-

He landed running, the corridor breaking beneath him. He sprinted on.

The portal ring beaconed to him like a mother calling to her child, and Vexx spurred himself on, hoping upon hope that he would make it. At that very moment, an incident occurred that would change everything.

The cracks in the corridor he had been racing this whole time had overtaken him, and suddenly the floor in front of him had fallen, and Vexx had to skid to prevent himself from falling into the black abyss. He looked at the distance, and his heart disappeared in despair. It was too far for him to jump, even with the Astani War Talons.

But...

There was barely a second left to him before his footing gave way. In one fluid movement, he shifted the Keystaff on his palm so he was holding it like a javelin, and threw it with all his might at the portal. He barely had time to watch it enter when the floor gave way beneath him, sending him spiraling into nothing.

He screamed as he fell, pieces of rubble falling with him. In sheer desperation, he clung for dear life to a falling fragment of battlefield; he knew that there was no survival for him, but he didn't care. He simply braced himself for the inevitable impact that would kill him. And if it didn't, the rubble would.

But there was no impact. He simply blacked out.

_____And then there was nothing._

_____No sounds, no sight. In the realm of eternal night and despair, I lay in silence, trying to scream in despair and agony, but no sound was coming from my lips. Nothing could penetrate the blackness. I thrashed in my prison, but there was nothing to break free from. There was nothing. I floated there in utter darkness - not even the talons of light that had bound themselves to me could guide me through the black._

_____And my heart...well, what of it? Nothing but pain and misery of a life once mine...a life I had saved but could never experience, and this thought gave me immeasurable pain. My grandfather...he was dead and gone. Even with my vengeance I could never see him again. Vengeance gave me pain. Pain haunted my dreams now, every waking and sleeping moment fused in an eternity of solitude and silence._

_____Death floated around me. I am dead now. Nothing can reach me._


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

"…_the only thing worse that failing is the fear of failing." - Reia  
_

_The Neverglades_

Reia walked among the tattered tapestries depicting the violent history of Astara, looking at them while deep in thought. She often walked alone here in the earliest morn, when all others around the recovering world of Astara slept peacefully. She cast a sorrowful eye at one particular tapestry: a peaceful scene, with a mother and her child frolicking in the fields of a temple, knowing that it will never be that way again.

She was constantly told otherwise – priestesses offering her words of encouragement and empowerment. "As Queen of Astara, you must lead us to a better world - a world like those in our past, to lead our people to fortune and good will forevermore. Your father did the same, and he would be proud of you," they said. She always sighed at their ignorance every time they spoke of this fashion. How little they knew. Perhaps they were just optimistic, or putting a mask on their despair like the rest of them. Or maybe they were truly naïve.

The Shadowraiths, led by the vanquished Dark Yabu, tore Astara to shreds. It was as simple as that. They destroyed whole sections of the planet, reducing some parts to cursed floating slabs of earth in the sky – a precarious place to settle as you were subject to the elements. They killed half of the planet's population, and grotesque hearts were littered all over Astara in the wake of their destruction. Lead to a better world, she thought incredulously. Sure. We can't even repair the one we have.

Reia looked at one of the larger tapestries – the wraiths' assault on Astara in full swing. Well, she thought gratefully, at least it isn't like that anymore. Her father before her had led the people out of the darkness following the wraiths' gluttony, only to be destroyed once again by the same felons. It filled her with anger merely thinking of this injustice – this mark on her father's memory.

This also filled her with false hope. She had no doubts of her leadership – definite progress had been made under her rule. But her father had dragged Astara out of the wreckage of destruction, only to be destroyed again. Perhaps they truly were doomed to be under siege by these blasphemous creatures forever. She saw little point in rebuilding what was to be broken anyway.

There was another reason she felt pain at her father's act. Even if they rebuilt this world and it remained under siege, the wraiths would come again – in turn, Astarians would fight back out of pride, to protect their homes, their families and their lives. But no-one knew save her the true fury of the Shadowraiths. They would spare no-one, and they could not be killed. They had lost too many heroes to this useless cause – and none of them deserved to die for the safety of the planet: "for the greater good".

She moved to one of the final tapestries. In it lay a dying man equipped with large talons amid a world of destruction. Immediately, her thoughts turned to Vexx, and a tear fell down her cheek at the thought. There was no reason for him to be dragged into a feud that wasn't his, and yet he turned into the savior Astara needed him to be. He rescued those in danger, and he destroyed the Wraiths and ultimately, Dark Yabu himself, returning the Keystaff, but perishing in the process.

She knew he could do it – she had no doubts that the Astani War Talons would save Astara just as they did before. But it was Vexx himself. They had only met once, after a vicious deception by Dark Yabu, and immediately she had seen the rage and sadness in his eyes. It wasn't hope that drove him to destroy the wraiths, it was hatred and fury. The wraiths, tyrants by nature, had created their worst enemy, just as thousands of tyrants before them.

Reia closed her eyes, averting her gaze from the tapestry and continued on her way. Vexx had saved Astara, and returned the Keystaff she held in her hand. But it was purely cruel that their savior was doomed to wander for eternity in the darkness. Reia walked out of the building and into the first rays of the morning light with sadness in her heart.

She had forced him to do the unthinkable. And she could never forgive herself for that.

She looked back at the tapestry room, her gaze falling on the newest tapestry that she herself had erected. It was purely black, except for a beacon of light in the center, and within it sat a small boy with overly large hands shaped like vicious claws. She glanced at it just once and felt once more the pang of guilt.

Reia looked to the horizon, and could see people from here rebuilding homes and farming their food just to survive. This is what the wraiths had caused, and with this realization came a surge of determination. Vexx had died to save this: she could continue his work, and she would, with every breath left in her body.

She looked to the sky, and could picture Vexx flying through the air, carried by wings of magical design. She grinned grimly at the thought, and made a silent vow to the dawn.

"I will help rebuild the world you died to save, Vexx," she spoke to the sky. "And I'll save you from the darkness, even if I have to drag you from the Shadowrealm myself. I swear it."

The priestess hurried along the stone walkway to the tapestry chamber, almost slipping on her long white robes as she frantically rush to her queen, who stood admiring the sunrise of this fine morn. Or, fine to her the queen's understanding.

Reia saw the priestess before she got there, and allowed the follower a moment to catch her breath. "What is it?" she asked in a tone of equal balance of authority and sincerety.

The priestess took a deep breath before she spoke. "The door to the Rift Hub has opened."

Reia stared at her in silence after this proclamation, looking at her as though she had said that the sky was falling. "The door cannot be opened. Only the Keystaff can open the door, and I sealed it after I first retrieved the staff."

"I know that, your highness," the priestess said humbly, bowing low. "But, against all impossibility, it is open. I even saw the cursed chamber within with my own two eyes. Send a scout, if you must," she added, knowing full well that her queen was skeptical to her truths.

Reia paused for a moment, knowing full well the consequences if the rift was indeed open. Either someone with unimaginable power within the Neverglades had opened it, or (more likely, she thought with a sick sense of dread) someone was coming through the other side. Either way, today of all days, everything had to be checked.

"No, sister," Reia said finally, sweeping her cloak onto her shoulders. "I shall investigate this personally."

In due course, which involved many humbled bowing and courtesies; they stood before the blue archway, its blue solid wall phasing open as they approached near. Reia cocked her head in confusion. This should not be happening, she thought. She sealed this very door, along with the doors to all other realms. Reia was about to take a step into the rift when a hand stopped her.

Reia was about to scold the priestess for her insolence and launch into a speech about she could look after herself, but her ego was deflated at the sight of the new arrival. The priestess had been replaced by her second in command, Lieutenant Artemis Muse.

Muse, in stature, was extremely tall and lanky, but this did not hinder him in any way – he was a vicious melee combatant, and was guardian of the Astani War Talons ever since the last wearer had perished many years ago. He held a plain wooded quarterstaff in one hand, and Reia knew that if she walked into the Rift and was attacked, Muse would put the stick to use.

"Oh, Muse." Reia sighed. "I thought it was someone else. My apologies."

"No, I am the one that should apologize, your highness." Muse replied, bowing low. "I should not sneak on you so – you are already tense with the work you do to the world. Now, what do you make of this?" He waved his staff towards the ominously silent archway.

"I am confounded, Muse," Reia said curtly. "By all reckoning, it should not be open at all. I was about to enter into the Hub and investigate, until you surprised me."

"Well, it seems fortunate that I have appeared." Muse responded, raising his quarterstaff over his shoulder. "For it seems you need someone to protect should anything happen to you. You, after all, are the most important person in Astara right now. Allow me to accompany you."

"Very well. I give you permission to defend me in any way possible should anything happen, but follow my orders. I'm not fighting anything yet, should anything come through the rift unwelcome."

Muse took his post at Reia's side, swinging his quarterstaff to his side. "My pleasure, your highness."

Reia took a deep breath, then took a step forward into the rift hub, Muse following her footsteps like a shadow. She looked around the familiar citadel, observing the doors around the room's perimeter. And in the center, a shaft of light rose from the floor all the way to the infinite ceiling, reaching to the stars…and beyond. Usually this rift was a light blue, but now it was fluctuating, throbbing with mysterious energy.

Reia reeled back in shock. "This is impossible. The rift should not be acting this way…"

"Unless something is coming through from the other side," Muse growled menacingly, completing her sentence. "Someone with enough strength to break the bonds of the Keystaff. I suspect another wraith is marshalling the demons once more."

"The Shadowraiths." Reia breathed. "Oh gods, they are coming again."

They had no choice but to stand there in shock and anger, as a surge of energy pulsed down the rift, landing into the floor and exploding in a flash of energy and a crackle of electricity. From within, a dark shape unfurled its wings and stood menacingly.


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

_I know indeed what evil I intend to do,  
B__ut stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury,  
F__ury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils._

_Euripides, 484 BC - 406 BC_

_The Shadowrealm_

The eternal night wore on. Vexx floated in nothingness, dreaming oblivion to the eternal stretch of time and space. Darkness was his thoughts, and blackness was his heart – there was no escape from the night that enveloped him, save if a miracle was to happen.

And miracles come in the most unexpected manner.

In a distant corner of the Shadowrealm, where darkness reigned and chaos was raging, a gluttenous, dark creature sat on a throne of twisted metal and purple flame. He ate a blood-red fruit, and where his hideous fangs bit into the flesh, blood-red juices oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and he chewed slowly, savoring the flavor, for he knew his stock of fruit was running thin.

Krakas was becoming impatient. For decades, Yabu had promised him all the worlds beyond the Shadowrealm, and what had he got so far – a thousand dead wraiths and one dead leader among them. Still, he thought bitterly, it saved him the trouble of having to kill Yabu himself. Yabu was always too greedy for his own good – after all, he was the one that wanted the grandest sections of Astara for himself. Krakas showed no remorse for him.

But before him was the next best thing. Wraiths assembled in rows before him, stretching as far as the eye could see, screeching and clawing at the ground in savage fury, waiting for their master to acknowledge them. Beside the dark throne stood a deathly pale wraith, tall amongst the rest with thin claws for fingers, and eyes darker than the realm they resided in. He watched the assembly with grim purpose – it was he who was to guide the wraiths to rule the realms beyond their own at last.

"Dark Skadavia," Krakas asked the pale wraith. "Are you certain that this will work? You place too much on chance and not enough on the consequences of your failure."

Skadavia simply glared onwards into the distance, watching his wraiths. "There will be no failure - only success. Once I tear a now rift from the ground we stand on, we will step into the Astarian rift system and seize control of it. From there, it is foolproof. Rest assured, my lord, we will conquer all."

Krakas scowled. "How do you know of this knowledge? What manner of cursed manuscripts have you been referring to?"

"No manuscripts, and no tricks," Skadavia replied. "Simply one staff that has the power to create passages between the worlds," He held up a crudely fashioned staff made of charred wood, and in a set inlet in the head of the staff, sat a familiar amulet embroidered in gold. "Yabu's amulet, with the life force of our former commander and the energy from the Astani War Talons when he wielded Yabu's power against him, will power this staff of cursed wood and guide us to Astara.

"You see, my lord, when Yabu confronted the holder of the War Talons, he lost his sacred amulet to the boy, who then used the amulet against him. Amulets are normally energy amplifiers, but this one is significantly different – this one absorbs the life forces of those it destroys. Pasted down through the spawn of our kind, it has absorbed the power of Dark Yabu and the Astani War Talons – with this power we will forge our own rift."

Krakas was silent for a moment, and then nodded slightly. "Commence your act of conquest, but heed this warning. If your plan fails, the wraiths will rip you limb from limb for deceiving them. And once they are done, I will take your scattered remains and set them to the flame and watch you wreath in deathly agony. This is what fate awaits you if you come back here empty-handed. See that you do not."

Skadavia nodded. "There will be no failure. Only the writing of our history in blood."

Skadavia raised his mighty staff: instantly, the Shadowrealm was silent, save for the purposeful footsteps of the alpine-white wraith that walked towards the center of the assembly, wraiths parting to let him pass. Finally, we reached the center, and threw his arms in the air in fury.

"Fellow wraiths!" he bellowed; his voice angered and empowered the blood-thirsty creatures he led. "You have been imprisoned in this dark place for too long. Soon, we will feed on the souls that have taunted us with precious souls for so long, and destroy their goading with claw and darkness. Together, we will conquer, and history will know the history of the Shadowraiths, written in the blood we have spilt and drank!"

As one, the Shadowraiths burst into a tribal fury, thrashing in throes of rage and bloodlust. In one fluid movement, he lofted the staff high into the air and loosed one foul strike upon the earth.

Silence claimed them. Then lightning burst from the darkness, and booming thunder rained. The earth shook beneath them with violent throes of agony, but the Shadowraiths continued their war dance, terrible and powerful they were, as a dark hole emerged in the center, spiraling into darkness and the realm beyond. Skadavia grinned in triumph – he had not failed.

It was the lightning and the thunder that awoke Vexx from his nightmare. The face of Yabu screamed in his dreams, yelling in torment and pain. His eyes flung open, and suddenly, he was no longer embraced by darkness, but the darkenss was recoiling from him, releasing him and he fell, screaming as he plummeted.

Finally, like the lightning that pierced the space he struck the ground where the wraiths stood, unnoticed among the tumult of the violence. He stood groggily, his legs unused for weeks, months or years – he did not know. He opened his eyes and was awestruck by the blinding colours, unfocused and blurry. He staggered to one knee, struggling, remembering how to breathe and coming to terms with his reincarnation.

He stood finally, his eyesight better but still shaky in the knees. He was greeted to the sight of a sea of Shadowraiths floundering like fish in a barrel, trying and failing to fit into one hole that could not take them. His fury was stoked; blue energies crackled in his clenched fists and suddenly his mind was clear and focused. He didn't know what was going on, but he would kill the demons that imprisoned him.

With one pulse of energy, he flew through the air, sailing over the heads of a thousand dark beings, intent spurring him higher until he could fly no more, and he roared in anger as his person pulsed blue with overflowing energy. In one fluid swipe, a comet of azure death plummeted downwards, landing without a sound.

The resulting explosion was devastating. Shadowraiths screamed in pain and horror just before they atomized by the waves of energies that assailed them. Only Skadavia, who had simply raised a hand to shield his eyes, and Krakas, who hadn't even flinched, remained after the assault. Vexx fell hard, landing knelt and making a crater as he crashed before Skadavia.

There was an awed silence at Vexx's entrance. Then, after a infinite build-up, Krakas acted – he started a slow, exaggerated applause and smirked viciously at Vexx.

"So, you are the great one that destroyed Dark Yabu," Krakas snarled. "It seems he was wrong to underestimate your strength – no mere mortal could destroy all of those wraiths in one blast."

Vexx did not respond – he simply glared at Skadavia and Krakas in contempt. When no one spoke, Skadavia spoke next. "My lord, this is the one I spoke of, whose powers are within the staff I wield. See how I can tear through this world's dimensions like a youngling's flesh! There is no world safe with this weapon in my hands."

Vexx spoke for the first time. His tone was deeper than one would expect, laden with menace and anger. "I won't let you." He said simply, taking a step forward.

Skadavia simply chuckled briefly. "You may try, boy," he growled menacingly, raising his staff over his shoulder. "But I tell you now that you face power beyond your comprehension. Unless you can rival your own strength, I suggest you stay out of my way. I have a world to conquer."

Vexx's fury was aroused; he finally could wait no longer – he lunged at Skadavia, energies ablaze and roaring with the fury of the storm. Skadavia grinned smugly; faster than thought he too lunged towards Vexx, swung his stuff and struck Vexx squarely in the chest. Vexx was catapulted across the field, skittering across the floor before coming to a stop near the edge of the platform.

"You see?" Skadavia roared. "You can't stop me. I will devour your world soul by soul, and when it all burns in the fire of darkness, when all is lost and you are in the throes of despair…then I will devour yours and leave your carcass to rot among the rest of your people. That I swear to you, young savior. Follow me if you wish."

Skadavia stepped into the rift, vanishing with a crackle of dark lightning. Vexx leapt to his feet, ignoring his weakness and the beast in front of him, and launched himself into the rift in hot pursuit. Krakas watched them go, a vicious and wavering smile of triumph on his face.

"So the hunt begins again," Krakas mused, taking another bite of his fruit.

And there is the intro to my big Vexx sequel. Like? Review. Don't like? Criticise - I can take it, I'm a big boy...sort of. XP Just give me feedback, PLEASE!!


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter **__**3**_

_You are everything that is  
__Your thoughts, your life, your dreams.  
__You are everything you chose to be._

_Shad Helmstetter_

_Rift Hub_

Reia reeled back in shock. "This is impossible. The rift should not be acting this way…"

"Unless something is coming through from the other side," Muse growled menacingly, completing her sentence. "Someone with enough strength to break the bonds of the Keystaff. I suspect another wraith is marshalling the demons once more."

"The Shadowraiths." Reia breathed. "Oh gods, they are coming again."

They had no choice but to stand there in shock and anger, as a surge of energy pulsed down the rift, landing into the floor and exploding in a flash of energy and a crackle of electricity. From within, a dark shape unfurled its wings and stood menacingly.

Skadavia stepped from the portal with purposeful steps, looking about the rift hub with eyes shining with greed and the thirst for destruction. He knew what this place could be – the legendary rift system built by Astara, unwittingly sealing their doom by unlocking the door that was better left closed – the door to the realm of the wraiths.

"Freedom, at last!" Skadavia proclaimed, raising his staff in triumph. "Never have the bonds of power upon me been so light…the darkness has held me back for too long, it seems. But now, I feel I could crush this pathetic structure with a flick of my wrist…" He gazed at his hands hungrily. "I just might yet…"

Reia stepped forward, putting an end to the demon's ponderings. "Go back to whence you came, tainted demon." She said boldly, raising the Keystaff with authority. "You shall not pass while I still breathe."

Skadavia looked upon Reia with disdain. "I have heard of you, Astarian." He hissed brutally. "You are the one they call Reia. You are the ruler of this pathetic ball of rock and magma……your father fought to stop us too. It is a pity that your people do not learn from mistakes of the past. I give you one warning, Reia – flee, before I exterminate you like the vermin you are."

Reia held firm. Muse stepped forward to join her, quarter staff raised. "You will not lay a hand on her, beast. If you want her, you will have to destroy me first."

Skadavia's nostrils flared at this interruption. "What is this? You insolent rat…you have no idea what you stand in the way of. Back away and let me fulfill the fate of your race, as you are too indomitable to seal it yourselves."

Reia stepped closer, swinging the staff in Skadavia's direction. "You will not leave this room, demon. Do you know of what power I hold? I wield the power of the Keystaff, the weapon Yabu died to steal from me. I now inherit its power, and I extend to you the same courtesy you do to me – flee, or I will scour you from this earth and send you back to where you came from myself."

Skadavia glared at Reia with fury, but eyed the Keystaff precariously. He was confident in the power of his own weapon, but the Keystaff had more than just power within its wooded prison. And this other person simply annoyed him. He observed him closely; he was not much of a threat to him. He looked upon his mighty frame, his quarter staff, and his eyes…

There was something in this man's eyes that shook Skadavia, something he couldn't place within the man. Then he saw the name on his chest: Muse. Skadavia's eyes widened at the name – it wasn't possible; the wraiths exterminated the Muse bloodline eons ago. Suddenly his position became a lot more dangerous.

Skadavia hid his fear in a confident smirk. "Well played, young Astarian, but I think the game has been played long enough. It is now time to end you, once and for all." He raised his staff, energies pulsing from the crystal in its center. Muse leapt in front of his charge, bracing himself for the impact.

Unexpectedly, a second pulse of energy travelled down the pyre that ran through the center of the rift hub. Skadavia had not noticed yet: he brought the staff down upon his two victims –

With a cry of fury, a dark shape burst from the portal behind Skadavia, lunging at his back and assailing him with claws that shone like deadly starlight as they savagely cut into the demon's flesh. Skadavia let out an inhuman roar of pain, striking the assailant with the full energies of his staff. With an explosion of energy, the attacker was flung to the other side of the rift hub, where he struck a pillar and fell to the floor, still as a dead man.

Skadavia panted heavily, grunting as his wounds, oozing a black, tar-like substance, sealed themselves slowly. He snarled in pain and rage and turned his attention back to his original targets, ignoring the smoldering attacker in the corner.

Vexx rose slowly, shaking the shock from his system. He was still coming to terms with being alive, so he leant against the pillar for support. Where rage had driven his attack on the wraiths in the Shadowrealm, common sense reigned here. Reia was in trouble – regardless of the past, she could not die yet. Facts firmly set in his mind, he rose fully, sprinting at his foe.

He was on the verge of leaping in front of the second blast of energy when he flew headlong into an invisible force in front of the battle, white spots appearing in front of his eyes. When he finally cleared them, the scene was frozen in motion: Skadavia's face contorted with rage, the staff high in the air, Reia holding the Keystaff forward like a spear, determination etched along her face.

Vexx placed a palm on the invisible wall. "The hell…?" he muttered to himself quietly.

"Do you have a fetish for destruction, Vexx?"

Vexx spun abruptly, talons aloft, ready for battle. "Who's there?" he bellowed into the shadows. "Show yourself!"

"It seems that every time you recover from a battle, you are set on repeating the same mistakes over and over again." The voice continued. It had a dark, sardonic tone, ominous and profound from within the shadows of the hub. "Is it some foolish notion of self-sacrifice? Or do you want an escape from what you've become? Questions, questions…"

"Enough!" Vexx shouted wrathfully: the spectre's words had more than a grain of truth to them. "Face me, now!

"Ah…but can you handle seeing yourself in the mirror?" the voice replied cryptically. "But if you truly wish to see me, then so be it."

"Stop talking in riddles. What do you mean?"

"I mean what I say." The voice responded, stepping from the shadows to lean nonchalantly against a pillar. Vexx reeled back in shock; his mind must be playing tricks on him, for he could not comprehend that the person in front of him was real.

It was himself. A duplicate of Vexx was leaning against the pillar, smirking at him with vampiric teeth showing from behind curled lips. Except he wasn't quite the same as the real person; he walks towards him with a cocky demeanor, and as they stood toe to toe, staring each other in the face, the real Vexx could tell that his eyes were different.

They were bright yellow, with orange irises and pitch black pupils. Just like a wraith's eyes.

"What are you?" Vexx whispered, unwaveringly staring into the hideous eyes of his counterpart.

"Isn't it obvious?" The doppelganger responded. "I'm you. Or, more specifically, everything you're not - your anti-being, as it were. And I just stopped you from killing your – _our_selves. I'm sorry, I get the two confused. We are so different, and yet so identical, don't you think?"

"I don't know you." Vexx hissed, pushing closer despite the proximity already. "And you don't know me."

"On the contrary, mister sunshine," The double said, adopting a casual pose, arms folded and legs slightly bent. "I know you better than you know yourself. You made me, pal, so you're stuck with me."

"What, I _made_ you?"

"A parrot, now, are we?"

Vexx shook his head. "That isn't possible; I've been dead for years. How could I have possibly made you?"

"Correction from the peanut gallery," The twin rectified, raising a finger. "You were trapped in the Shadowrealm for years. And the Shadowrealm is a nasty jug of voodoo, if you get my drift. Why do you think wraiths are so pissy – the realm is literally made of hatred, pain and suffering. You know, all those cold, prickly feelings inside that you felt while you were _sleeping._" He punctuated the last word with aerial quotation marks with his hands.

"But then how did you come into this?" Vexx asked viciously. "I never wanted you, so why are you here? You should be back in the Shadowrealm where you belong."

The shadow of Vexx stepped closer than ever, nose-to-nose with his counterpart. Vexx felt no breath from his evil twin – he was as icy as the realm he came from. "You don't understand, do you, kid?" The twin retorted loudly. "I'm what you wanted to be when you were floating in your ball of rage. Remember those feelings of loneliness? Me. Remember those times when you wish you could just die? Me again!"

"Stop…" Vexx whispered, but the twin carried on relentlessly.

"All the hate! All the rage! All the revenge that you want against the living, all the people of Astara that you want to rip to shreds! I am your worst nightmares, the being you were to become, the one that wanted to crush Astara into dust and go head-long into oblivion for vengeance!

"But no..." The mirror image's tone dropped to a low whisper. "Good, noble Vexx couldn't stand to let the nasty wraiths kill poor Astara. Because you hate the wraiths, even though you are just like them. Just like _me_."

"SHUT UP!" Vexx roared, striking his shadow with a flashing blade. The claws passed through his body, dispersing into smoke as the blades sliced into the shadow's flesh. With a sadistic smile, he faded, snickering softly.

"You have to face me sometime, Vexx." The demon whispered. "You made me, and you have to deal with me, like it or not. You will not die today, for it is not your day to die. We will meet again. Let us hope that you have the guts and _nobility_ to face your own nightmares at last…"

Vexx sank to his knees, head held in his hands. The world slowly began to spin again, Skadavia's staff falling in slow motion to smite his enemies –

An explosion rocked the rift hub; the world went back to normal. The room tilted precariously sending all four occupants skittering to the ground. Skadavia snarled in frustration, the energies within his staff withering and dying. Reia looked around, fear in her eyes.

"Our energies are too much for the rift system!" Reia cried. "The rift can no longer sustain it! You must leave now, wraith, or you shall doom us all!"

Skadavia stood tall, despite the pandemonium around him. "I shall not move from here. Either we all depart this life, and Astara is doomed, or you leave and give your people an opportunity to withstand the tempest that I bring. Your move, young queen."

With that, he turned his back to them, loosing a terrible roar of rage and triumph upon the crumbling walls around him. Reia leapt to her feet, supported by Muse, and they scurried towards the door back to the Neverglades. Vexx saw the two pass through the door, saw the door seal slowly behind them.

_"GO!"_ The voice in his head screamed. Without hesitation, he leapt to his feet, sprinting for the door. Reia waved the Keystaff; the door was being locked. With a cry and a surge of speed, Vexx lunged through the closing door, a pillar crushing the place where he had been only moments before.


	5. Chapter 4

So, after a long-ass hiatus, which I humbly apologise for (other priorities and whatnot) I'm proud to present not one, but two consecutive chapters. Enjoy. Hope its worth the wait. =D

_**Chapter 4**_

_What do I do to ignore them behind me?__  
Do I follow my instincts blindly?  
__Do I hide my pride from these bad dreams  
And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening?  
Do I sit here and try to stand it,  
Or do I try to catch them red-handed?  
Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness,  
Or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?_

_By Myself – Linkin Park_

_The Neverglades_

Muse flew out of the portal first, holding Reia tight in his protective embrace. Another loud explosion came from the gate, and fire, smoke and destructive energy arced out of the rift, destroying the life around it.

Reia turned back, stood her ground. Calling upon the powers in her staff she began to speak the words taught to her by her ancestors, the ancient words of power that awoke the Keystaff's true power. As the chaos raged around her she stood her ground, chanting the words to seal the door. Slowly but surely, the door began to seal, and the chaos began to recede into the rift again, until finally, after a faceless shape hurtled out of the rift gate, the rift sealed with a final, resounding clash.

Then there was silence. Reia, Muse and several priestesses who were caught in the crossfire stood in silent awe, not only at the sudden noise and eruptions of energy that had just emanated from the rift, but at the shape that had fallen from the rift that had begun to stir.

Shaking the stars from his head, Vexx slowly got to his feet, blinded by the sudden, intense light of the morning sun. He stood for a moment in its warmth – it felt like a bath in pure light, as if all of his sins were washing away like a forgiving hand of a god.

_You wish, s_aid a dark voice in his head, and he was instantly snapped back to the present, at the people that stared at him as if he was a ghost. Among the most shocked was Reia, who had dropped her staff in surprise. It was like a mirror into the past – it seemed that, despite it being years since the events concerning Dark Yabu, he hadn't aged a day.

Overwhelmed by a mixture of happiness, gratefulness and sorrow, she rushed forward, embracing the boy tightly. Vexx was silent and stock still, unwilling to speak. The woman who had led him to his own destruction was the first to embrace him and welcome him back? Rage consumed him, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to gut her where she stood.

"Let go of me," He snarled viciously, not moving an inch.

For a moment, Reia was stunned. She let go and took a step back and regarded Vexx fully. Within an instant something had changed within the boy – the look he gave her was of pure malevolence, and anger and hate radiated from his person. Every single muscle in his body was rigid, as if holding his own body back, ready to kill again.

The mood was so tense it seemed to manifest in a corporeal being, silencing them in a veil of fear and wrath. Reia looked at Vexx fearfully, and Vexx at Reia with a gorgon's gaze, and no one dared speak lest they rouse Vexx's fury.

"Vexx, what happened to…?" Reia began, but one look from Vexx brought the silence back upon them.

"I have no wish to speak with you, Reia." Vexx spoke slowly and with a blunt cruelty. "What is done is done, and you cannot make excuses, nor will I ever forgive you for your actions. Your speeches are wasted."

Reia stood stock still, shaken into words again. "Vexx, you don't know what you are saying."

"Don't I?" Vexx accused in a deathly whisper. He stepped closer. "I have suffered in the Shadowrealm because of you. Every thing you ever said or did drove me to my own doom and you did nothing to prevent it. I saved Astara and I got exile in return. I think I know exactly what I am saying."

A tear rolled down Reia's cheek. Every word Vexx said bit into her like a fiery brand in her heart, and every step towards her drove it deeper. "I had no choice, Vexx…" she whispered.

Her vulnerability incensed Vexx further. "I was your puppet!" Vexx roared in dark fury. His talons reacted with a blazing, azure surge of energy and the crowd hurriedly stepped back. "You played me like a common trumpet for your own ends. But I am no longer your naïve little pet. I have grown in the darkness of the Shadowrealm and I condemn Astara to the same fate they brought upon me."

Those last words brought Reia to her knees, the tears flowing freely now. Vexx was the reincarnation of every evil thought in her soul, and she could not take another word from the boy. And yet Vexx stepped even closer, standing over her with his fists clenched, blue fire flickering through the tight gap.

And Vexx did so want to strike down the one that sent him to that hell. He was ready to deal a blow that would throw her to the ground and make her scream in agony. And he would smite her again and again, so she would never rise, cripple her so she could never stand proud again, and she could truly feel the pain that he felt for years in this one moment…

But something intervened.

"You know you want to."

His dark side was whispering in his ear, caressing him as he raised his fist. "Nothing can stop you. You wanted your revenge and now you can take it!" it exclaimed in glee. "Your heart will never heal if you do not smite down the demons like her that stand in your way."

Vexx paused, and in that instant, he knew what had driven him to strike Reia. It wasn't hate or fear or anger – it was the wraith within him wanting blood. Even if a lonely old man stood in his path he would still strike without mercy, this he knew. The good within him knew that this was not right, but the sweet nothings in his ear were too tempting to resist.

With a cry of restrained anguish, he smote down.

And struck the stone ground next to where Reia knelt on her knees, a spider's web of cracks splitting the ground where they both stood. The strike shook the ground around them, and all screamed in fear. But soon it was gone, and Vexx had closed his eyes, forcing the wraith within to back down.

Reia looked up at him. When Vexx's eyes opened, they were their normal vivid blue, and they were wet.

"I condemn you." Vexx whispered in a totally different voice. With that final proclamation, he walked on, the crowd parting in fear to let him pass, and he walked up the steps into the temple and disappeared from sight.

Silence claimed the crowd again, and Reia was left staring into space, stricken by the words that Vexx had spoken. _I condemn you…_those words replayed in her head like a mantra of sorrow, and Reia got to her feet unsteadily, supported by Muse as the crowd dispersed uneasily.

"Are you alright, m'lady?" Muse asked respectfully. Reia remained silent, unable to give an answer. When Reia didn't speak for a few moments, Muse continued. "Do you want me to speak with Vexx?"

"No…" Reia answered finally, looking after Vexx at the temple. "I need to do this alone."

There was a pause. "It wasn't your fault, m'lady," Muse comforted, placing a hand on her shoulder in a warm manner. "You did what was needed."

"Vexx did what was needed too." Reia whispered, walking away from Muse. "And that's what scares me the most."

***

Vexx sat on the lip of the small fountain of the temple, looking around the semicircular room. The tapestries around him seem to glow in the firelight of the candles around the room, giving them an eerie glow that brought the paintings to life. It didn't surprise him – he had been physically within the tapestries on one occasion.

His mind was in turmoil – he had no direction, nothing to drive him anymore. Before, it was revenge. Dark Yabu, Reia, the Shadowraithes…he felt such hatred for them. He stared at his hands – no, they weren't his hands: they were grotesque talons, bred for war and destruction. He struggled to remember the feeling of his own palms.

He walked to the tapestries, placing a hand on them, careful not to tear it. He longed to feel the fabric under his skin, the bumps and textures of the paint underneath his fingers and to touch the painting that depicted the despair that he was in.

_Despair? _The demon within him spoke. _Poor baby, does he want a bottle?_

"Shut up."

_Oh, did I touch a nerve?_

"I don't want you. You don't belong."

_We'll see, Vexx. In time, you'll see things my way._

"You're evil, screwed up, demented. You're not supposed to exist. You're an abomination."

_I am you. You are me. _The demon's voice snarled viciously._ We are one and the same, young Vexx. When you speak to me and deem me demented, an abomination…that is who we are. Who _you_ are._

"You're not evil." The words did not come from Vexx's lips, but from Reia's, standing near the doorway precariously.

Vexx closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Reia, restrained by uncertainty, struggled to find the words she needed to say.

"You are far from evil, Vexx," Reia said, gaining confidence. "You may have touched evil, tasted it, fought and been tainted by it, but you are not evil. You saved Astara through your unwilling sacrifice, and I cannot forgive myself for what I forced you to do.

"But Dark Skadavia threatens everything we know. They will destroy us without a thought. And the only one that can fight them is you. I don't expect you to help us, but just remember that the world is not black and white. Good can fall into black, and evil can see the sun. You may have suffered horrible things, but you are a good person. I know that."

Vexx shook his head. "You don't understand." He whispered. "You have no idea what it was like."

"Then tell me."

Vexx pushed himself away from the wall, instead moving to the fountain, looking into the swilling waters. He debated within himself for a moment, then took a breath.

"No." Vexx said slowly. "I have my own fears that shouldn't see the light of day. You have no business bearing them – they are mine, and mine alone."

Reia sighed heavily, not willing to look at Vexx a moment longer. "I didn't think you'd speak to me. But at least think about it."

"You can't expect me to fight them again." Vexx said suddenly, looking at Reia's back. She paused, but did not turn to face him.

"You're right, Vexx. I don't."

Vexx watched her leave; her footsteps fading into the sound of his own thoughts, and Vexx could swear he heard a teardrop hit the stone floor in her wake.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Either you will  
__go through this door  
__or you will not go through.  
The door itself  
makes no promises.  
It is only a door._

_Adrienne Rich_

_The Rift_

There was not much left after the noise and thunder. The doorway sealed itself and afterwards, everything seemed to explode upon itself a thousand times over. Skadavia revelled in the ensuing chaos, regardless of the pain he felt as he was almost torn asunder by the chaos around him. His own pain became his pleasure as he was ripped into the darkness of the rift.

In the silence, he picked himself up and opened his eyes. There was nothing. Just pieces of rubble floating endlessly in a sea of oblivion. It was not like the Shadowrealm, where the stench of evil left a visible, purple stain drenched across the horizon, and the horror was self-inflicted; this darkness was absolute, eternal and, perhaps worst of all, completely natural. And yet, Skadavia could still see perfectly.

Skadavia pondered for a moment. How can this be? Have I stumbled upon something greater than the Rift Hub? The structure of the Hub had been destroyed, and this was left in its wake. But what was _this?_

And then it came to him in an instant, and the whole situation became infinitely more wholesome and appealing to him.

With his staff still in hand, he drew the outline of a door in the blackness, imposing his will upon the staff and the forces in its direction. The wisps of black manifested itself into a rough silhouette of a door frame, and tentatively, he reached a hand through it.

Skadavia released an ugly grimace for but an instant, his true malice showing through the calm demeanour. He had work to do. And it would start here.

_The Neverglades_

Vexx ran his talons over the engrained surface of the table impatiently as he waited for Reia and the others. The rock screeched in protest over the involuntary movement, but in truth, Vexx didn't particularly care. It wasn't as if anyone could kick his ass or anything...

Vexx stopped for a moment, and surveyed the table: underneath his fingertips was a flat map of the world of Astara, incredibly detailed with forests, valleys, mountains and engrained names, dispersed into their various island fragments. In a dense section of woodland and forest he saw Timberdale and (with a pang of guilt) Overwood, to the North was the bitter Frostblight Mill, and in the centre of a vast sea, he saw the words "The Below" crammed in between a tight network of islands.

He attempted to recognize other names, but he did not get the chance: the hall doors burst open unexpectedly, and Reia stepped forth, flanked by Muse and another equally, muscular bodyguard, and behind her were a selection of tribespeople and elders, honoured to be in the presences of the great stone map of Astara.

Vexx stood instinctively at the noise of footsteps and instantly wished he hadn't - upon sighting the boy, uproar and muttering beset the crowd, turning into a hornet's nest of stinging rumours and lies that made the boy uncomfortable. Reia sensed this, turning to her group.

"People of Astara," she proclaimed, sweeping a hand over the room. "The boy before you is your saviour. He is the one that destroyed Dark Yabu in his own dark realm and won back the Keystaff I hold now. He has scaled the highest mountain and trawled the lowest sea, and still stands before you. You owe him your lives and your respect."

"My Queen," A younger tribesperson spoke timidly, stepping forward. "That is not what my people hear. It is said that this boy stepped out of the Shadowrealm on a pillar of darkness and flame with a dark beast behind him. They say he is cursed with darkness."

Reia reeled upon him instantly, her eyes blazing. "That is mere exaggeration –" she began, before Vexx held up a hand, silencing her instantly. With the one motion, the people could see how much power this boy held with him – he could even silence the great Reia with a sweep of his talon.

"Your people have no sway against the darkness." Vexx spoke calmly, his voice filled with a dark intelligence. "You may feign the illusion, but you cannot fight the encroaching shadow alone. Cursed or not, you need me and the Astani War Talons. Without me, you'll fall into the darkness too. Your people must choose now – me or the wraithes."

This ultimatum was met with a wall of sceptical silence. An unspoken wall fell between Vexx and the people of Astara until finally, one person grew the courage to speak out.

"Now is not the time to be issuing challenges." He spoke wisely, leaning on a worn staff. "If this boy can save us, then let him. But time is of the essence, and we must move quickly." There was a pause in the crowd, as all digested the harsh truth of the newcomer's words. After a time, the newcomer spoke again. "So is standing here saving us now?" he concluded impatiently, rapping his staff against the ground in irritation.

Reia nodded, gesturing towards the table. All at once, the group assembled along the sides of the table, with Reia positioning herself at a large, unadorned chair at the head of the table. Vexx, uneasy about sharing his thoughts with the world, took his seat cautiously, tense and wary in his stance. There was an awkward tension within the room that no ounce of calm could dissipate, and Reia cleared her throat a little before intending to speak.

"The Shadowraithes has presented to us a larger threat than we could have ever believed possible," Reia began, exuding control – even Vexx was vaguely paying attention. "They have already attempted a breach of our already shattered world, which they themselves destroyed when we opened the door between the realms.

"They attempted to seize control once more, their rift opening from Overwood and Timberdale," She pointed out the area with her Keystaff. "But galliantly, Vexx (he snarled briefly in warning before settling) single-handedly defeated the menace, and sealed the door between the realms completely. Though our world was shattered, we had conquered the darkness and closed the door, but at an even more terrible price – the weapon that defended this realm, the Astani War Talons, was locked within the Shadowrealms forever, along with their master...or so we thought, up until today.

"Somehow, and this is a question in itself that has never been posed, the wraithes broke a way back through the realms of their own accord. As they invaded the sealed rift hub they obtained both their greatest victory and their greatest doom. They destroyed the rift by their ravenous nature, and returned our greatest hero to us."

"If I may be so bold, my Queen," a gruff voice rose up down the table. "This may be the one who defended our lands on his own, but the fact remains that he is still a child. He cannot be trusted with these weapons. They should be handed on to someone older and wiser."

Vexx's voice rose like a lumbering storm in response. "Age is no counter to the horrors I have seen, old man." He immediately countered. "If you want these talons, I'd like to see you try removing them from me." This was both a challenge and a plea; though Vexx had had enough of these accursed claws and just wanted peace, he knew that no one in this chamber even dared comprehend the power these weapons contained. Regardless, the voice sunk back into his seat in defeat, muttering inwardly.

"The only possible explanation for this breakthrough," Reia continued, silencing the rabble. "Is that there is more than one rift system in Astara, one that wasn't explicitly created by us – a natural system created by the very energies of the planet itself."

"That's impossible," the young council member piped up confidently. "There're no sources of earth energy that could warp the boundaries of reality itself."

"Not necessarily." The newcomer wheezed, standing before the council, leaning heavily on his staff. "In the older days of Astara's history, long before the breakdown of this planet was even conceived, there were places in Astara where the impossible occurred. Plants grew to enormous heights, behemoths of steel and iron wove to the heavens and even the earth itself shifted in these abnormal places. Our ancestors used these areas as religious centres for the more radical zealots of these tribes. It is possible that these places were amplifiers of Astara's latent energy, and could have the power to channel such power as to tear through the division between the realms."

"Pah, impossible," The young man repeated firmly, leaning back in his chair. "If this is the case, how do the wraithes even know of these places? And if they knew, they only know how to manipulate the darkness – this energy is foreign to them."

"That is where you're wrong." Vexx himself stood this time, bringing both people to attention. "During my exile there were strange places within the Shadowrealm where the power wasn't at its normal level. The wraithes congregated to these places just as we did, feeding off this energy en masse. That's how they have gathered the energy to remain strong – they feed off the small overspill of energy that seeps into the Shadowrealm. They want this planet to feast on the energies whose scents they have held for so long."

Reia stood to gaze into Vexx's icy blue gaze, her own twisted with concern and almost fear. "Where do these vents occur? Surely there must be some indication of where they could be, even after the breakdown of Astara?"

The old man stood once more. "Seven temples were built to attempt to contain and twist the powers to their advantages. Cities soon began to grow around them, following the prosperity. And we are standing in one of them." He indicated to the rock-hewn walls around them. "The Temple of the Neverglades was one of the last temples to be erected, and one of the strongest centers of energy – the elements of the earth and the water. When a rift system was erected, a rift gate was placed here simply because the energies made it viable without undue hassle."

"So why are we not swamped chest-high in wraithes?" Another council member asked worriedly. "If this is one of the places where the energies are strongest, the wraithes will surely attempt to – "

"They already have." Vexx said simply. "And they failed. And we need to stop the rest."

The old man nodded in agreement. "The other six temples are arranged across Astara to create the strongest connection between the energies, to easily transport the energy in the future. Most of the locations are unknown, but it is said that there is a temple here," he pointed to an isolated island on the very edge of the map. "In the Nightingale Gorge, to the west. Ever since the shattering, it has been trapped in eternal night, being on the fringe of the very planet."

"Then that is where I need to go." Vexx said with deadly conviction, knowing now what would drive him now – not for Astara, but because it was the only way to his own salvation. "The wraithes must be stopped at all costs." And he would stop them, because he knew - with the slightest glimmer of hope - that when he was finally done with them, done with Skardavia and the rest...he would be free.

_You are the master of such wistful thinking, Vexx, you know that, right__?_

He looked up to stare into the faces of those who had doubted him for so long, who continued to mock him even now, but something was amiss. The way they looked at him...they seemed to gloss over in obliviousness, looking without seeing...and it was then, with a sick sense of dread, that Vexx understood what was happening.

They were all frozen. Still as statues. And perched on top of the head of the statue, blocking Reia from view, as if he was looking in a mirror...he watched himself standing there, arms crossed indignantly and a stern look gracing his distorted features, yellow eyes piercing through the blue.

"You mean, where _we _need to go." The dark Vexx spoke with an equivalent resolve. "And we need to talk about that. Right now."

----------

More to come. Stay tuned...XP


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_New blood joins this earth  
And quickly he's subdued  
Through constant pained disgrace  
The young boy learns their rules  
With time the child draws in  
This whipping boy done wrong  
Deprived of all his thoughts  
The young man struggles on and on he's known  
A vow unto his own  
That never from this day  
His will they'll take away._

_The Unforgiven – Metallica_

The doppelganger walked towards him, never looking away from the wide, blue eyes that held their gaze upon his dark form. With every step he took, the room seemed to grow colder until Vexx could see his breath crystallise in front of his face.

"I'm sorry, Ace, but we're not going anywhere, thanks." He said nonchalantly. "I like it here on this wretched earth, however confined I am here. I'm free. And you are in misery. It's a win-win scenario for me."

Vexx raised a defiant eyebrow. "I don't think you're in any position to tell me what to do, demon. I do as I will, and no demon –" He spat the contemptuous word in his face like a vile taste in his mouth. "– will tell me otherwise. Not even you."

There was silence for a moment, before the dark Vexx chuckled lightly, gripping Vexx's chin like a bossy parent. "Kid, when will you learn? I have three thousand years of experience under my belt. You have seventeen. Don't even think about fighting me."

"If that's what it takes, wraith," Vexx said, devoid of emotion. "I will kill you."

The wraith was in awe for a moment before cackling hysterically, his laughter echoing in the chamber and screeching against Vexx's eardrums. "You'll kill me?" He gasped in between wheezes for air. "Oh, that is priceless. Okay, then, hotshot." He took a step back, his arms outstretched in surrender. "Take your best shot. Kill me. Gut me. Tear me limb from limb like the filthy savage you are."

Vexx paused at the request. "Wrong answer." He said darkly. And with a single leap he flew towards his adversary, claws glowing with energy as he roared with the thrill of the kill. He was so close – smiling his cocky smile, the bastard – and he would swipe his face off and feed it to the crows. He pulled back an arm–

And froze in midair.

At first he thought it was some sort of sick joke, to be held back before killing the one thing that was truly holding him back from his mission and let his own personal nightmare end right then and there. But he couldn't move his arms, his legs...he was trapped. Just like in the Shadowrealm. Only his head was free to move.

"The look on your face just then was just priceless, Vexx." He said softly, a hint of humour on his voice. "It really looked like you were going to kill me. Too bad that's not the way it works. Sorry about that. Should have mentioned it earlier."

"I'll rip you a new one, you son of a bitch. Let me free." Vexx snarled in his most contemptuous tone, wrestling to no avail.

The dark being gripped his host's hair was undue force, wrenching his face into his own. "You're just not getting it, are you?" He bellowed, his voice taking a bestial edge that made even Vexx's hair stand on end. "My name is Sonneillon, boy. I am the lord of hatred and warlord of the demonic host ship, Glaphriin. You are not host to your typical, garden variety, buy-a-dozen wraith. You have a full-bore, no holds barred demonic party animal in your sweet frame. Lucky you..."

"I don't care if you're lord of Astara itself, bastard," Vexx replied in insolence. "You can't hold me back."

"Well, like it or not, kid," Sonneillon replied simply. "You're stuck with me. So live with it, cause I'm not going anywhere. Even if I'm stuck in your meatbag, it's better than some hell. And I have the savior of the human race, too. Looks like I win all hands."

"So what? You're just going to watch this world burn?" Vexx lashed out again, on the edge of insanity. "Just take me, you asshole. Have what you want from me, I don't care anymore."

Sonneillon paused for a second, a revelation appearing before his eyes. "Actually, I have a better idea, Vexx. I know how you can save your precious world and set yourself free as well. A new life for you. Without _these _things." He flicked one of the claws on the talons, the metallic ringing echoing in the room like a persistent fly, marking his offer. "I can give you everything you dream of, and I know what you dream of."

"And what's in it for you, Sonneillon?" Vexx whispered back with pure venom. "Setting me free...what do you get?"

"I get freedom, boy. True freedom, I mean. A body of my own to roam as I please through this wasted playground you call a planet." He replied calmly. "And a head start from you, of course. 'Cause Lord knows when I'm free of your corpse, you'll want my head on a silver platter. I know how to split us apart, Vexx."

He let the words sink in for a moment, and then he spoke again, his voice taking a more grave tone. "Getting trapped in your body was...a mistake on my part. I saw your suffering, and, well...curiosity killed the cat. When you finally awoke, I was trapped within your soul irreparably...when you came back, so did I."

"You came back?" Vexx asked curiously, his hate deflated for but a moment. "From where?"

"Now, we're not going to have a heart to heart now, are we?" Sonneillon reverted back to his mocking tone once more, grinning at Vexx with a macabre nerve. "I offer you this proposal. Take me to the place where the land touches the sky, and you and I will both be free for the first time in a long time. You save your planet and yourself at the same time. And I don't have to keep freezing you every five minutes, which, to tell you straight, plays havoc on my head."

Vexx found himself considering the wraith's offer, even though he was repulsed by Sonneillon's charisma. He could be free...there was an alternative, but to side with the one thing he hated for so long made him sick. Then again, Sonneillon was a potent ally, whatever his intentions. If he was going to save his planet from the entire demonic armada, he was going to need some aid. He sighed in defeat.

"If I take you to that place, will you set me free?" Vexx whispered in a secret plea that he himself could barely hear. The response was a slow chuckle, deep from the throat, and Sonneillon released him from his frozen bond, sending him sprawling to the floor.

"Vexx, you are more powerful than you realise, but your soul...it has more than you know within..." Sonneillon commented lightly to himself, before referring to Vexx. "I swear on the blood of my brethren when we reach our destination, you shall have your freedom, and I will never mess with your matters again. Now...do we have a deal?"

Vexx got to his feet, restraining the energies within him. With all the will that brought him through the Shadowrealm and back, he raised his empty palm and shook hands with his worst enemy in a bond of desperate trust. In an iconic moment in Astarian history, man and demon shook hands for the first time in truce.

But it wasn't to last.

"Don't even consider what you're thinking, Vexx." Sonneillon said suddenly, a gravity emerging on his character. "If you turn back on your word, I'll send us both back to the Shadowrealm. So just as a little motivation...it would be smoother if you don't cross me."

"Fine." Vexx spat, releasing the demon's cold grip. "So, what now, Sonneillon?"

"You continue. Just as you would as if you never met me. Only this time, you have a little angel on your shoulder. Or...a demon, perhaps." He laughed again, and placed a hand upon Vexx's eyes, blocking his vision with a dark palm. Vexx recoiled in shock, but when his sight returned, he was staring upon the same scene in exactly the same position - as if the encounter was just a nightmare.

"If you must go, Vexx, then we will assist you however we can." Reia was saying, maintaining a steadfast tone laden with leadership. "I can use the rift system to send you to Nightingale Gorge, but the rest is up to you – I can only activate the system with the Keystaff."

Vexx was still in a state of awe, eves transfixed at the spot where Sonneillon stood only moments before. Or had he? The memory still burning into his mind...it was difficult to distinguish truth from fantasy.

"Vexx...Vexx!"

Reia's worried tone brought him back to the present, and as he came back into awareness he looked upon the questioning stares of the council members, looking at him as if he had sprouted a Flemblossom out of his hair. Vexx shook his own head, burying his eyes into his palms for a moment, colour exploding into his gaze and blocking the reality for a second or two.

"I'm fine." He said at length, looking up at the convened members with his determined facade. "I need to prepare for my journey. I will leave here at sunset."

Vexx turned his back on the table, leaving the room – the other members of the council, sensing the end of this meeting, tentatively followed suit. Only Reia remained, gazing at the door Vexx had just passed through with a familiar feeling rising in her chest – that of duty.

"Muse." She summoned briskly, and he appeared at her side in a heartbeat, alert and ready. She would regret the words she was about to utter, for she knew that they would betray the trust she had in their saviour, but all the same, her sense of reason took hold. "Watch him. Follow his every move. I want you to be his guardian angel on his journey. He cannot die."

"M'lady, I cannot leave you unprotected." Muse started, his obedience faltering, but the look on his queen's face halted his dissent immediately.

"I have countless soldiers to guard me. I shall assemble an entourage to maintain my safety in the coming days." She said firmly. "I am not the chooser of our destiny, Artemis. Vexx will either save our world or condemn it. For the good of all of Astara, do not leave his side."

"I...but Reia..."

"Do you not have faith in my decision, Lieutenant?" she demanded icily, refusing to prolong this order for more than she had to. "I am no longer your charge. By my royal authority, you are now under the charge of Vexx. You will protect him at any cost, and follow any orders he gives you, save dereliction of duty or any that put him in danger. Am I clear in my orders, Lieutenant Muse?"

There was a bitter silence after her proclamation. Muse had no choice but to bow low and accept his fate. "Yes, milady. You will is done." And with not another word, he disappeared into the outside world once more.

Reia stood in the hall alone, refusing point blank to second-guess her decision. She only hoped upon hope her guiding hand in the fate of her world did not end in the same way as last time. She could not bring it upon herself to lose Vexx again. Even if it meant this – the one thing that betrayed what little trust he had in her.

But she knew inside herself that if she...no, she demanded within herself. It will not happen. Not again.

The moment the Keystaff had come through the Rift alone and the Shadowrealm had sealed in an explosion of energy, she knew she had failed him. When she walked out of the Rift Hub and faced the crowds of people, cheering in victory and relief and praising Reia as their true leader, she felt unclean. Vexx was the true hero; she merely lurked in the shadows.

Just like the things she hated. And it scared her that she would do it again in a heartbeat to protect who she cared about. More horrifying was she always had known it was more than passion that drove her, though it helped. And she rued the day that she would explain to Vexx why – and not just the facade of destiny she had used to cloak her intentions thus far.

She turned and left. It took all of her moral being not to look back.

Let the speculations fly. XP We're getting into the main event - next chapter, Nightingale Gorge. Stay tuned.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_And out of darkness  
__came the hands that  
__reach thro' nature,  
__moulding men._

_Alfred Lord Tennyson_

_Nightingale Gorge_

There was a chill in the air. There was something about the night that made every tiny twitch seem like a monster wishing to eat you whole, or the glint of the moon reflecting off what you think are razor sharp teeth. It was a night when the world was set on edge, upon the blade of a knife. Even the earth itself trembled in fear.

On this particular night, however, it did.

The moon shone through the thick foliage of a giant tree, barely piercing its shade of green. Below its cradling branches, the great stone columns of a mighty temple, bonded by age and nature, were barely visible. There were tiny globules of light dancing upon the subtle breeze, but they offered no help to gaze into what lay beyond.

There was a sound. A soft rustling in the trees. It could have been a memory, it was so soft. But as the rustling grew, the pillars seemed to tremble, the moon's light began to dim, and even the darkness itself throbbed with unearthly light.

Bone ground on granite, a horrible screech that broke the serenity. With a low rumbling, there was movement in the night, a creature – something out of the darkest horrors of humanity – shifted, stirred…came to life.

Deep in the blackness, something drew an almighty breath. For the first time in centuries.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Vexx clawed himself out of the hole in the ground, disgruntled at his sudden appearance in a local stone well. With a snarl, he squeezed water out of his tunic and glared at Sonnellion standing at his left shoulder.

"Stop smirking." Vexx snapped. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

Sonnellion's vile grimace filled the air like a chesire cat. "I had no idea where exactly the Rift would spit us out, kid. After Skadavia blew up the Hub, the Rift's energies are more temperamental than usual."

Vexx's ear twitched in annoyance. "At least we made it to Nightingale Gorge. The energy well shouldn't be too hard to find."

The demon on his shoulder gestured to the west. "See for yourself."

Vexx had only just taken his bearings. They had spawned on a ridge overlooking the gorge, the well the only sign of life for miles. In the far off distance, the familiar balls of rock floated in space with disturbing grace, and in the dead of the night, there was nothing but the slow rush of wind in the trees.

But Vexx wasn't disturbed by this; what worried him the most was the sheer size of the gorge itself. The forest within seemed to take a life of its own, forming a hub of nature upon the blighted landscape. The hills petered out life until the beginning of the drops into the gorge – from there down, it was nothing but harsh, unforgiving stone, glowing with a strange, ethereal glow only enhanced by the great moon, dominating a good third of the skyline.

"This is the place of death and darkness, the place that haunts the bedtime stories of your young children." Sonnellion said gravely, stepping towards the precipice. "Welcome, Vexx, to the first of your trials."

Vexx felt a shiver down his spine, and not simply because of the cold. There was an evil here he couldn't place, something that eerily reminded him of his exile to the Shadowrealm. He breathed in deeply, exhaled, and leapt off the edge of the precipice, plummeting into the gorge. At the last moment, his talons flashed a shimmering gold, great leather wings burst from his back, and in an instant he was soaring through the gorge with grace.

He glided as far as he was able, but the gorge walls became too thin to fly through. He set himself down, the wings evaporating into nothing behind him. Before him, the stone maw invited him onwards, a rush of wind breathing him in towards the crevasse. Relatively alone, he stepped into the darkness, an orb of energy from his fingertips the only light to guide him.

It was like something out of a nightmare, walking through the natural corridor. Spirit stones – the dead souls of Astara – were fused with the stone and cast ghastly echoes of their masters through the night. Tortured death screams, the final words of a father, futile pleas for mercy…the mere presence of past pains spurred Vexx to leave this horrific graveyard. The darker the corridor became, the more frantic the souls cried to him, to save them, but their time had long since past, no help could save them now, nothing could bring them back to life…

All of a sudden, he was free of the nightmarish hall, arriving in a dank grotto of a forest. He heaved a sigh of relief – at leas the first league was over. But something about this place was amiss. It had a strange verve: something about the rustling of the trees and the movement of the shrubbery had a vivacity Vexx couldn't make out. It was as if the entire forest was one single entity, breathing as one, moving to a steady heartbeat.

Sonnellion looked about him, reappearing at Vexx's side. "There is danger here. Stay alert." he said shortly.

"And you would care, because…?" Vexx gave Sonnellion a blunt glare.

"You'll get us both killed if you don't watch yourself. This is not a place to drop your guard."

Vexx raised an eyebrow to Sonnellion's vague insinuations, but began to make his way through the dense woodland, pushing aside leafs and branches as carefully as he could. But every step made a crunch or a ruffle that disturbed the night, and, slowly but surely, the forest seemed to sense his presence.

The trees, in tune, began to rush with the wind. The leaves began to form miniature cyclones around the pair, and all around them, the forest's heartbeat seemed to quicken. The demon's eyes narrowed.

"It knows we're here."

Vexx looked towards him in alarm. "It? What is 'it'?"

Sonnellion moved forward towards a clearing. "The guardian of this place."

Vexx followed him into the space, and was greeted to a sight of devastation. It seemed there was a settlement here, once upon a dream, but the forest had claimed all forms of inhabitants. The huts were entangled with vines and encrusted with wood, the fields throbbed with poisonous fruits, and the centrepiece of the encampment – a statue of a long past leader of Astara – had been murdered by the nature surrounding it, all but its torso and legs standing proud among the ruin.

The huts lead on to a destroyed stone path, leading up a hill and into the darkness beyond. He could just make out the silhoulette of a mighty temple, hewn from the gorge walls themselves. Pillars were bowing with their age under the massive roof over the entrance, and the stone was encrusted with mould. Beyond that, Vexx did not want to guess what lay within those ancient walls.

"I remember this place…" Vexx muttered. "Grandpa took me here when I was a young child. It was a trade hub a long time ago, before the war. Before you bastards screwed everything up."

Sonnellion gave a snort of distaste. "Don't pin this one on me, kid. We avoided the wells of power during the original invasion. Made more sense that way."

"Wait. You were there? At the beginning?"

Sonnellion smirked, almost proudly. "The warship Glaphriin had the honourable task of laying siege to what your people call Submarillus, the throne of your leadership. We slew all who dared opposed us and harvested the rest for Dark Yabu's bidding. I had the distinct pleasure of removing your past leader's head from their shoulders. His blood tasted pretty good, now that I think about it…fresh…regal." He licked his dark indigo lips as he spoke, as if reminiscing the fabled moment.

Vexx could only feel disgust and contempt at his demonic counterpart, but remembered to bring it up later; there was a more important matter to attend to. "So, if you didn't destroy this town, what did?"

"Not my problem, kid." the demon retorted. "Your kind probably messed things up. Like they always do. But that's not exactly why we're here now, is it?"

Vexx opened his mouth to reply, when the temple noticeably shifted, fluctuating outwards as if exhaling a mighty breath. The earth trembled and the forest pulsed in reply, and in the darkness, Vexx had the ominous feeling he was being watched; there was a dark intelligence lying in wait for their arrival.

An explosion of earth – a tendril of vine burst through the ground, destroying a nearby hut. As thick as a tree trunk and three meters tall, it swung at him with blinded hatred. Without a flinch, Vexx caught it with a taloned hand and, with a flash of steel, severed the tendril from its master. There was no sound, just the whispers of a cry of agony upon the wind – the beast was in pain.

They had appeared everywhere, growing from the earth like an army of nature's design, intent on obliterating the young warrior. Vexx leapt nimbly between the vines; his claws grasped a vine as it threw him skywards, and with a graceful pirouette he rocketed downwards, rending the vine in two.

"This thing is too huge to fight here." Vexx muttered to himself, and with haste, he sprinted for the temple, more vines rushing from the earth to confront him. He made his way forward with furious determination, fighting towards the steps of the mighty temple.

Vines had entangled themselves over the entrance way, guarding the bounty within. Vexx had mounted the first step of the temple, grinding towards the doorway, but with every vine that he severed from its host, three more entangling tendrils sprung from the earth to relieve them. The fight seemed endless, and Vexx was tiring fast.

A tendril flew straight towards him, breaking through the flurry of claws to wrap around his shoulder. Before Vexx could even consider breaking away from the hold, he was in the air, another tendril grabbing his other arm and yanking him in opposing directions. with a cry of pain, Vexx felt his body stretched sideways, his shoulders shaking under the strain.

There was a sigh in his ear. _Never send a kid to do a professional's job._

With movements that weren't his own, Vexx opened his claws, firing beams of energy from the talons. The earth rocked as the hold binding Vexx in the air was severed, sending him plummeting to the ground. The beast had no intention of being denied – tendrils tangled themselves into a crude net beneath him, waiting to ensnare him once more.

Sonnellion's control was fluid and swift; Vexx's arm reached out to grab a surrounding tendril, coiling his legs into his body and aiming for the entrance. With the force of a hammer upon an anvil, Vexx sprung from the tendril, his talons outstretched in front of him, drilling clean through the wall of vines without slowing. With a roll and a spring, Vexx landed on his feet, his fingers running along the corridor walls, leaving massive rents in the stone.

The light of the chamber ahead was in sight, but the rush of the pursuing tentacles was deafening in the small space. With a small hop, the talons scythed through wall and ceiling, and they landed in the small space beyond the corridor. Sonnellion turned their body slowly towards the threat, facing the danger.

"Are you insane?" Vexx cried with his mouth, the only part of him that had control.

_Wait…_

The shadows of the tendrils were now defined, hurtling down the door with feral anger. The air around them seemed to pulse in bloodlust – the hunt was over, this stranger to them would finally be claimed by the forest…

With a sudden, loud crack, the walls of the corridor gave way, hundreds of tonnes of stone and granite caving down upon them. The torrent was deafening, but once the smoke had cleared, Vexx and Sonnellion were staring at an impenetrable blockade of rubble. The air throbbed once in a final burst of frustration, and then calmed, a silence settling with the dust.

Sonnellion had taken physical appearance at Vexx's side. "Thank you, thank you. Please, hold your applause." he crowed derisively, bowing deep and low towards his handiwork.

"You could've gotten us killed." Vexx said bluntly, though not without a twinge of resentment; Sonnellion had meant what he said about his warlord status, and had undisputedly proved as such.

"If I didn't take the wheel, you would have gotten us killed." Sonnellion replied in annoyance. "You're lucky I need you alive." the demon glanced over, a curious mixture of mocking and adrenalin staring his host down. "I would've loved watching those plants tear you a new one."

The final sentence hanging in the chamber, dripping with venom, Sonnellion turned and continued onwards. With strained compliance, Vexx turned away from the hallway and reluctantly followed suit.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Only the dead  
__have seen the end  
__of the war._

_George Santayana_

The room Vexx had raced into was eerily similar to the entrance to the Neverglades temple: three halls branched out in a junction of sorts, and the fires in the nearby lamps highlighted the yellowy stone that formed the room. The hallways only held pitch black save for the flickering luminescence of the torches.

Sonnellion walked straight for the centre hall, ignoring the rest. Vexx followed on his heels, walking with him through the darkness. The demon flared his fist outwards, an explosion of energy flaming from his palm, lighting the narrow corridor.

"Whatever is at the end of this corridor will be guarding the energy well." Sonnellion said grimly, staring down the endless passageway. "He's the thing that had the vines, and won't go down without a fight. I leave it in your hands for now, but if you fuck it, I'll take the wheel again."

Vexx snarled. "I don't need you. Just go then."

Sonnellion snorted derisively. "Gladly." And the light went out.

With a stumble and a curse, Vexx reignited his flame, wandering through the temple. Dust and cobwebs clung to every corner, every small crack in the stones was inhabited – it seemed this temple had been abandoned for years.

In time, he came to the main chamber – a near replica of the rift hub in the Neverglades, built from yellow stone and granite. Vines invaded the great columns that held the roof aloft and there was only one great stone arch that dominated the far end of the room. The flames had begun to light themselves, running into the darkness, making definition to the archway.

"Who dares disturb this place?" a low voice boomed over the low hiss of the flames.

Looming out of the darkness, latched over the archway, was a massive tree, expanding outwards, entangling the walls and the ceilings in its encroaching presence. It seemed to breathe slowly with a great purpose, and the vines and walls seemed to throb in unison – it was the thing that attacked them before, the guardian of Nightingale Gorge.

Vexx summoned his courage, walking forward. When he spoke, his voice boomed with power and authority, despite his appearance.

"I am Vexx. I am the holder of the Astani War Talons and slayer of the great Dark Yabu within his own realms. I am here to close the door that should never have been opened."

There was a silence. All of a sudden, a small pod sunk to the ground, cradled by roots, descending from the great branches of the tree. It opened slowly, revealing a tall man who leant heavily on a staff of yew. He seemed mature enough, but there were age lines creasing his face. He was embraced by the tree itself, roots binding him to the tree, both prisoner and master.

"I welcome you, young warrior." he replied, opening his arms wide, wincing as he did so. "I am Orthos, the high elder of the Nightingale Gorge, and the guardian of the rift. I presume you have come to slay me?"

_Of course, you old crone. _Sonnellion whispered in his ear, but Vexx was taken aback. "I do not wish to slay a fellow guardian." he responded. "I will simply close the rift and proceed."

"Ah, but therein lies a dillemna, young Vexx." Orthos gestured to the climbers adorning the room. "The temple and I are one. We coexist, and have done so for centuries. I apologize for my hospitality before. It was…a reflex."

Vexx nodded. "I only wish to close the rift. Please stand aside."

Orthos gave a short, mirthless laugh, raising an arm. His back had been pierced by the roots of the tree. They had entangled them – it was indiscernible who controlled who; Orthos looked for the entire world like an oversized puppet.

"Look at me, young one. I am nothing but a plant now. A great tree…a sentinel. A sleeping one, until the rift flared back into life, and you came to set things right. In fact, when the rift was reactivated, I breathed for the first time in seven hundred years."

Vexx raised an eyebrow. "Seven hundred years? How have you survived?"

Orthos sighed, a breath that exemplified weariness and heartache. "It is a long tale, filled with despair. You would have thought as such when you entered this place. Nightingale Gorge is, and always has been, a place of death. A graveyard. Nothing more.

"You see, I was, a long time ago, the lord of the small village that lived upon the steps of this mighty temple. We lived in peace and harmony. We had our differences with the rest of Astara, granted, but we lived on. We acted as a hub of trade, offering our harvests and knowledge to the fringe cities.

"But it all came to a change when the wraiths came. In fear, we took refuge in the gorge and in the temple. But they came regardless. They could taste our fear, and thrived on it. Every last man, woman and child within the gorge was slain, save the ones that I took under my protection within the temple itself.

"It was then I knew this temple was more than simply a place of worship. This place had power, more than any mere mortal could harness alone. I carved a staff from the life here and began to fortify this place, to protect my people. It was then I knew. All the lost souls that had perished, all of my friends…they never passed. They remain, the temple a harbour for their spirits."

Vexx spoke up. "They remained because they never died, Orthos. The wraiths feed upon flesh alone. It is part of their legend. They leave the soul behind, tortured and untouched."

Orthos nodded slowly. "Regardless of that, there was something different about this place. There was life here that I couldn't place. And then I came to understand – this temple was everything that death stood for. Darkness, young warrior, was the thing saving us and dooming us. Their souls endured, and came to this place, granting power to the earth…to Astara."

Orthos turned to gaze around him, nostalgia glazing his eyes over. "I haven't gazed upon this place since I last lived." he breathed. "Such life…how I envy it so. I remember when this place was filled with life. They were so vivacious…but that was a long time ago. It is but a lost dream."

Vexx stepped towards Orthos. "What happened to them?" he asked, transfixed by Orthos' tale. "Did they survive?"

Orthos turned to Vexx, wretched sadness replacing the gaze on his face. "They could not survive in this place. We did not think such turmoil on the outside would last. In the end, they began to beg me to save them, to provide them hope…to rescue them from the world outside."

Vexx was about to ask further, but Sonnellion had other plans. It was almost as if his demonic half felt a sense of disgust at the guardian's words; an inhumane, pitying disgust.

"So you killed them." Sonneillon spoke from Vexx's lips, spitting out contempt. "There was no other choice."

Vexx couldn't believe his ears, and, with a certain horror, watched as Orthos nodded, tears in his eyes. "I knew that, should they die, they would never know they could live on with the world, such as it was. I gave them this hope…" his voice changed all of a sudden, a steely determination overcoming his pain. "…and I slayed them all."

"You killed innocent lives…" Vexx said, fists balling.

"Are you no different, Vexx?" Orthos argued, the vines around him constricting in anger. "I had the power to save my people, to protect this earth. I did the only thing I could do. I killed them to save them, for them to endure this pain. It was the only way. You, Vexx, should understand this more than anyone. You, of all of Astara, should understand why I cannot let you continue."

Vexx shook his head. "The wraiths will come again, Orthos. The rift must be closed. They will come for you, and your people. They will burn this place, this entire gorge to ashes!"

Orthos closed his eyes. "And I will be ready for them. My people, their souls…they will endure. I will protect them no matter what the cost. And no adversary will defeat us…not even you."

With a low rumble, vines – the very souls of Nightengale Gorge rose from the earth, surrounding Orthos, raising him up on a throne of nature's make. Never taking his eyes off Vexx, he pointed his staff at him.

"I do not wish to destroy a guardian of Astara, particularly a young one. You have power beyond recognition…but you will destroy my people. I cannot allow you to end our legacy."

Vexx tensed his muscles, settling into a combat stance. "Orthos, I promise you. For your people, I will save Astara. But I must close this rift. It is the only way."

Orthos face settled into sadness. Then all of a sudden, rage in his eyes, his eyes flashing, steeling over. "Then, young Vexx, you are my enemy." His voice boomed, transcending and distorting into a voice of great power. "And the people of Nightingale Gorge condemn you to death."

Orbs of light danced around the temple walls, enraged, intensity flaring. the line was drawn, the sides had been set. Vexx flared his palms, wisps of energy flashing from his claws. Orthos closed his eyes, letting the roots and the earth embrace him.

Vexx sprung into action. The roots lunged in kind.


End file.
